Farlaine the Goblin: A Fairy Tale about Finding Your Forest, Book 4

Two years ago I had the pleasure of reviewing Book 1 of Farlaine the Goblin (here), and I absolutely LOVED it. I’ve read every book in the series, and each one presents new and exciting adventures for Farlaine and Ehrenwort, his best buddy who just happens to be a tree (really, if you’re unfamiliar with the book, go click the link above and read the first review). I would have LOVED to review each of these books, but I feared they would become too mundane. This comic is so refreshing when compared to other things on the market, that I feel reviewing every single book some how diminishes the pleasure you will get from reading through them yourself.

Book 4, however, needs to be talked about. As you read these books, you need to think about who your very best friend is in all the world. Who is that person? What would you do for them? Would you go to the ends of the earth to be with them, to save them, or perhaps to die with them? Farlaine is an example of what true friendship should be, and it is what keeps me buying the books and reading the adventures of the goblin and his little buddy.

Some Back Story

At one point (Book 2), Farlaine and Ehrenwort travel into the Salt Lands and meet a nameless Tink. He has been stranded, holding up a huge salt block, for eons. Even though Farlaine is familiar with Tinks and the rumors that surround their somewhat brutal attitudes, he decides to negotiate with the mayor of Salt Lands to free the Tink. Once he has secured the Tink’s freedom, they exit quickly to avoid further conflict with the Salts, who are greedy and materialistic to say the least.

Farlaine and Ehrenwort now have a new traveling companion, and one that proves his worth when it comes to friendship. He is willing to help Farlaine and Ehrenwort whenever necessary. He is always up for a new adventure, like helping Farlaine find his forever forest.

Book 4

In Book 4, with only seven lands left to check out, Farlaine is confident that Tink will be able to help him and Ehrenwort find a new home. However, as the three leave the Racelands and stumble into the Twistlands, they are quickly caught up in a big twister.

They bump and scrape in the tunnel of wind, and then the unthinkable happens: The shoulder strap of Farlaine’s bag begins to rip and before he can prevent it, Ehrenwort is sucked further into the twister as Farlaine screams “EHRENWORT!!!”. Farlaine hugs his knees and buries his head in sorrow until he is dropped to the ground. He looks up, a single tear running down his cheek, and says meekly “EHR…”.

I’ve not had a comic tug at my heart strings like this since Book 1 of Farlaine. Rarely does a comic have the ability to truly make me feel sad, alone, pain, but the unknown author of Farlaine certainly does. He perfectly captures each moment in both words and pictures.

The adventure continues when Tink and Farlaine meet two twistcatchers who agree to help them try to find Ehrenwort. The story reveals Tink’s origin story and we learn that Tinks are named for the thing they collect. Since Tink falls asleep without the sun, Farlaine determines that he gathers light. Soon thereafter, Farlaine begins calling Tink Drowsy, finally giving him a name. The story is far from over, however, as Farlaine, Tink/Drowsy, and the two twistcatchers wait for the mother of all twisters to circle back by them. When Farliane finally sees it, his response and reaction are simple: with a smile on his face he quietly says “YES”.

I never like revealing the ending because I want the reader to enjoy that pleasure on their own. And this comic is certainly one that will give you pleasure. You will feel everything Farlaine does, and you’ll be cheering for the little guy to find his very best friend. Fortunately for Farlaine, even though his travels have not yet produced his forever forest, I do believe they have found him many new forever friends. I can’t wait for the next installment.

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About The Author

My name is Dianna, and I hail from the land of the lakes, aka Michigan. My full time job has me running a writing center, teaching writing classes (hopefully soon teaching a comics course), and doing all sorts of techy things, since that’s what I did in a previous life.

At this point in my life, comics are both my passion and my research. I am lucky in that I get to combine my passion into my everyday work. But here at Destroy the Cyborg I get to have fun and chat about what I'm reading. Feel free to chime in on my post, even if it's to tell my how dead wrong I got something.